Police: Someone donated live grenade to Salvation Army

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ROSEBURG, Ore. -- Police say employees found a live hand grenade in a Salvation Army donation box on Monday.

Just before 9:00 am, the Roseburg Police Department was called to the Salvation Army Thrift Store and Donation Center, when two employees reported to a supervisor that they located what they thought was a toy grenade inside some donations.

They picked it up and quickly realized that it was not a toy, and appeared to be real.

Police say the employees placed the grenade in an empty donation bin and the area was evacuated.

Roseburg Public Works employees helped the police department with setting up barricades to block traffic in the immediate area.

The Oregon State Police Bomb Squad responded and took possession of the grenade, which they said did appear to be live ordnance.

Staff at the Salvation Army said the grenade was mixed in with a lot of other donations and could have been in the business for several weeks to a month.

Officials say they had no way of tracking who had left it, or when.

The Roseburg Police Department would like to remind the public to never handle a suspicious device.

If you locate an item that you believe is suspicious or dangerous, evacuate the immediate area, restrict entry to that area and call 911.